Today was a somewhat slower week for spartan superway as the semester begins to wind down. The entire class period was spent listening to presentations from other teams and ensuring that we are all on the same page. Class time ran out and we did not have a chance to present so we will be presenting next week on the final day of class.
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This week I completed the final design for the track bender and I am ready to have it approved by Dr. Furman. Once approved, we would like to start building. Our design consists mostly of steel and is designed around parts and pieces of material that we have access to in the shop. Using materials that are already available will save great expense. The "open" position of the track bender. This position allows us to insert an aluminum section between the rollers and the bending tube. The "closed" position of the track bender. This position allows us to begin bending the aluminum by depressing the jack and rolling the bending bar back and forth for a consistent bend.
This week the small scale track team finished the design of the track support brackets. Several brackets were 3D printed to test fitment and overall design. Each bracket takes upwards of 7 hours to 3D print, so we plan on changing the 3D printer fill settings to reduce the printing time. Our new design was coordinated with the small scale bogey team to ensure that their new bogey can fit through our brackets. Our team also met with an injection molding consultant to discuss the possibility of injection molding these brackets. Our team also pushed forward on the new track bender design. It is a modified version of last years design that will improve accuracy of bending and improve bending speeds. We plan to have a horizontal platform for bending, as opposed to last years' vertical hanging design. A mockup of our current track bender is shown below. We plan to have the 3D model finished before next Wednesday so that we can start manufacturing the track bender.